Esther Scharlack Vexler

Esther Scharlack Vexler was the first baby born in the new year 1918 at San Antonio's Santa Rosa Hospital. As was the tradition then, she was given a new pair of shoes by the Guarantee Shoe Company. She was the youngest of nine children of Meyer and Mary Arbetter Scharlack. She led a full life spent devoted to community service, social action, problem solving and always thinking of ways to help others.

When she lost her father at age 5, her mother became the minder and wrangler for 9 athletic, dramatic, competitive and energetic children. At age 7, the precocious baby of the family, Esther, won the Lions Field City Checkers Championship. She attended Milam Elementary, Mark Twain Junior High and was in the first graduating class of the new Thomas Jefferson High School. She attended Mills College, UCLA, and graduated from Cal Berkeley with a degree in English Lit and Dance. Upon return to San Antonio, she worked for the family business, Southern Jewelry. A few years later she married her longtime sweetheart, Harold

Vexler. They held hands through life for 73 romantic years.

As a young wife, Esther began acting on a commitment to serve community by starting a Girl Scout troop. She advocated for equal rights and better services for the poor. She became a volunteer teacher at Kenwood Elementary and assisted at the city's School for the Blind and School for the Deaf, which became the Sunshine Cottage. As a member of the National Council of Jewish Women, she started literacy programs based on "Each One Teach One".

Esther was articulate, thoughtful and persuasive and emerged as a leader of several organizations including Texas League of Women Voters, the Texas Mental Health Association, and the National Council of Jewish Women. She was the first woman president of any Jewish Social Service Federation in the country. In later years, the Family Violence Center became a priority.

In 1963, Esther was invited to the first White House Conference on Women and Children. She was appointed by President Kennedy to direct the southwest region of the Girls Job Corps and was lauded by President Johnson for the superb work she did in setting up training programs for lower income teens.

At 55, she returned to college to work toward an M.S. in Urban Planning from Trinity University. For her masters' project she collaborated with her professor, Raynell Parkins, to put together a non-profit to arrange home repair loans for low-income homeowners. She enlisted the support of bankers and other community leaders to form the Community Housing Development Corporation, which subsequently became a City agency.

Esther and Harold enjoyed traveling, especially driving, and together they explored Morocco, Europe, and Mexico. It was through her travels that Esther discovered yoga: the combination of mind, body, spirit, exercise and relaxation. She immersed herself in the study of Hatha yoga and began teaching at Healy-Murphy Learning Center. There, she had considerable influence on young women who would later thank her for helping turn their lives around. For many years, she and Harold went to Rio Caliente Spa in Guadalajara, where Esther led yoga classes and water exercises.

Esther was an incomparable friend, a generous supporter and patron of the arts, and a model of growing older with grace. Her influence in the San Antonio yoga community was recognized with the establishment of the Esther Vexler School of Yoga in 2014. She taught yoga classes until age 98. Though Esther professed belief in moderation in all things, she was not moderate in her commitment and actions to making the world better.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband Harold and by her eight brothers and sisters. She leaves behind so many friends who will miss her calming presence. She will be especially missed by her children Bette and Jack Vexler, Drs. Stuart Vexler and Cari Kahn of Austin, and Dr. Jill Vexler, New York City as well as grandchildren Jeff and Catharine Vexler, Ruthie Vexler and Stuart Zicherman, David Vexler, Jordan Vexler and Albert Shannon, and Tibarek Vexler. She took great pleasure in her great- grandchildren Rosie, Henry, and Jackson. "Aunt Bitsy" was adored by her many nieces and nephews in the Scharlack clan.

Part of Esther's longevity can be attributed to the excellent medical care provided by Doctors Schnitzler, Thornton, Wallace, and Font and the tender loving care provided by Juana Herrera and Myrtle Lewis. Others caregivers include Olivia Santos, Lily Armas, Ana Maria Aguirre, Francisco Aguirre, Mechelle White, Carmen Ramirez, and Mireiya Hernandez. Their efforts prolonged her productive activities and her spirit.

Donations honoring Esther can be given to the Family Violence Center of San Antonio, Jewish Social Services of San Antonio, the Vexler Chapel at Agudas Achim, or the Temple Beth-El Prayer Book Fund. Memorial services will be held at Temple Beth-El Friday, November 4, at 2:00. Esther attended services faithfully until her recent illness.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

2:00 PM

TEMPLE BETH-EL

211 BELKNAP